This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Rural Clinician Evaluation of Children's Health Care Quality Measures: An Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) Study
Results of a survey in which 172 physicians identified which measures were most useful in reporting and improving care in their daily practice.
Author(s): Lyle J. Fagnan, LeAnn Michaels, Katrina Ramsey, et al.
Citation: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 28(5), 595-604
Date: 2015
view details
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and 30 Day Rehospitalizations: An Analysis of Medicare Data
Examines the association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and 30-day rehospitalizations for patients discharged with congestive heart failure, pneumonia, or acute myocardial infarction. Includes data by location of patient residence for small town/rural, large town, suburban, and urban core areas.
Author(s): Amy J.H. Kind, Steve Jencks, Jane Brock, et al.
Citation: Annals of Internal Medicine, 161(11), 765-774
Date: 12/2014
view details
Impact of Home Health Payment Rebasing on Beneficiary Access to and Quality of Care
Measures the impact of base-payment reductions mandated by the Affordable Care Act on beneficiary access to and the quality of care provided by home health agencies. Reports findings across geographic area (rural and urban).
Date: 12/2014
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Utilization of Intensive Care Services, 2011
Provides data on utilization of intensive care services across 29 states. Table 3 provides information on ICU utilization by hospital characteristics, including metropolitan or nonmetropolitan location and hospital designation (Critical Access or teaching).
Author(s): Marguerite L. Barrett, Mark W. Smith, Anne Elixhauser, Leah S. Honigman, Jesse M. Pines
Date: 12/2014
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
Observation Care Services for Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Hospitals: Policy Issues and Stakeholder Perspectives
Seeks to provide a greater understanding of rural-specific issues surrounding hospital outpatient observation status and the related implications for rural hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and Medicare beneficiaries. Results are based on a multi-state, qualitative analysis of input from three respondent groups: state hospital associations, long-term care ombudsman offices, and Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs). Analysis focuses on the use of observation status by Medicare beneficiaries from 2010-2013.
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Samantha Mills, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 24-26, 2014
Provides a summary of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Discusses rural-specific aspects of intimate partner violence and the ways telehealth can help improve healthcare access, quality, and value.
Date: 09/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Geographic Variation in Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations for Acute and Chronic Conditions, 2005-2011
Examines potentially preventable hospitalizations for adults from 2005 to 2011. Includes data for acute and chronic conditions by location of patient residence for large and small metropolitan, micropolitan, and remote rural areas.
Author(s): Celeste M. Torio , Roxanne M. Andrews
Date: 09/2014
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
Controlling Hypertension: Focusing on "Why" Makes "How" a Lot Easier
Overview of a quality improvement project initiated by a group of 5 small rural practices and designed to improve the outcomes of patients with hypertension.
Author(s): Jennifer L. Brull
Citation: Family Practice Management, 21(5), 23-27
Date: 09/2014
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2014
Includes chapters on synchronizing Medicare policy across payment models; improving risk adjustment; measuring quality of care; financial assistance for low-income beneficiaries; per beneficiary payment for primary care; site-neutral payments for select conditions treated in inpatient rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing facilities; and measuring the effects of medication adherence for the Medicare population. Mentions rural throughout.
Date: 06/2014
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Pediatric Emergency Care Capabilities of Indian Health Service Emergency Medical Service Agencies Serving American Indians/Alaska Natives in Rural and Frontier Areas
Analyzes the Indian Health Service's (IHS) emergency medical services (EMS) agencies providing services for children. Discusses the importance of EMS services for healthcare access and challenges IHS EMS agencies face.
Author(s): Andrea L. Genovesi, Betty Hastings, Elizabeth A. Edgerton, Lenora Olson
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 14(2), 2688
Date: 05/2014
view details